"Fast and compelling... The Newsboys' Lodging-House brings together William James, Horatio Alger, newsies, gang boys, rat baitings, crime, and romance, in a vast and colorful panorama of old New York."--Kevin Baker, author of Dreamland and Paradise Alley

A SPELLBINDING LITERARY ENTERTAINMENT ABOUT THE TRAVAILS AND TRIUMPHS OF A YOUNG WILLIAM JAMES, AND A CITY ON THE RISE Overpowered by contemplation of evil's existence in a godless world, William James--psychologist, philosopher, and one of the most influential American thinkers--suffered a severe mental collapse at the age of thirty. Months later he reemerged with renewed confidence and a new clarity of purpose.

In this mesmerizing historical thriller, Jon Boorstin imagines those missing months, taking James on a journey into the gritty urban environment of 1870s New York. inspired by a chance encounter with Horatio Alger, James goes incognito to New York City to search for the key to human nature in the struggles of the city's countless young street urchins. Once there he finds himself battling to save those seduced by the darker side of street life--and is forced to test his ideas against the gritty reality of a boisterous city.